The Story of the Universities' Mission to Central Africa. By
the Rev. Henry Rowley. Second Edition. (Saunders and Otley.)—The short space of time which has elapsed since the first edition of this work was published shows that English people have not been wanting in sympathy for Bishop Mackenzie and his companions. Mr. Rowley, as one of the two survivors of that party, naturally speaks with enthusiasm of the work which they undertook, and looks forward sanguinely to the results which they hoped to realize. Bat his book is certainly not hopeful to those who read it, and who reflect on the deadly nature of the climate, the difficulty of access, the state of the people. It is not so much the native population that fills us with despair as the slave-dealers and the settlers. Mr. Rowley tells us of a Portuguese who was in the habit of shooting down his slaves when he was incensed with them, and who lived in perfect impunity. Others would send out refractory slaves in a canoe, and have the canoe upset in the middle of the river. The rudeness and savage habits of the natives may no doubt be overcome, and the missionaries certainly made great progress. But there seems little hope of subduing these slaveowners and slave-dealers, or of extinguishing the slave trade indirectly, while it is in such hands. We are glad Mr. Rowley is more sanguine, but the effect he produces hardly seems to justify the impressions he formed.
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